Belt buckle



BELT BUCKLE Filed March 6, 1953 23 13 FIG. 1 5 5 R0 land 5500/74 Samuel7U MOD 4, yum-W A'H'OTMLY United States Patent Our invention has for itsobject a connecting unit including a buckle and a pivoting catchthereon, said unit being intended for use with a yielding belt or thelike perforated yielding fastening member.

According to a main object of our invention, a crossmember of the bucklelocated at a distance from the M pivotal axis of the catch carries aspring the ends of which are held by said cross-member while the medialpart of said spring forms a collapsible bearing for the tip of thecatch, said spring being provided with control parts operable from theoutside of the cross-member and that are designed in a manner such thatthe user exerting a pressure on said control parts produces an elasticdeformation of the spring and consequently a receding movement of themedial part thereof away from the path of the tip of the catch, whichallows the latter to move from one side of the cross-member to the otherand to drop thus out of the perforation of the belt or the likefastening member engaged by said catch as soon as a mere pull is exertedon the buckle.

Our invention relates in particular to an embodiment of such a bucklewherein the cross-member assumes the shape of a flat tube serving as acarrier for the spring and as a guide for its deformations which arelimited in practice to a plane. Said flat tubular cross-member isprovided with a medial notch in its wall facing the catch to allow thepassage of the tip of the catch therethrough when released.

We have illustrated by way of example in accompanying drawings apreferred embodiment of our improved buckle associated with a fasteningmember. In said drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates in plan view the ends of a belt provided with abuckle carrying a pivoting catch. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of thebuckle shown alone without the belt.

Fig. 3 is a plan view partly sectional of the buckle showing theabutment provided for the catch on the spring.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same buckle, the abutment on the springlying in its catch-releasing position.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, one of the ends of the belt L is secured asknown per se to a cross-member or bar 2 of a buckle generally designatedby the reference letter B.

The bar 2 forms a pivot for the catch 3 engaging a perforation 4 in thebelt L. The buckle B, assuming the shape of a generally rectangularframe, includes in addition to said bar 2 two parallel lateral members 5and a second cross-member 6 facing the bar 2.

Said second cross-member 6 is constituted by a thinwalled preferablyflat tube provided with a notch 7 in the middle of its wall facing thecatch for the passage therethrough of the tip 3' of the catch 3.

A spring constituted by a wire 8 assuming a circular cross-section isfitted through its ends 9 and 10 between the inner terminal parts 11 ofthe lateral members 5 of the buckle, registering with the outer ends ofthe tube 6. These terminal parts 11 of the lateral members are pro-Fatented Aug. $3, 19555 ice vided each with an elongated opening 12through which the corresponding end of the spring 3 projects, said endbeing bent into arcuate shape as shown respectively at 13 and 14.Starting from the arcuate end 13 of the spring towards the middle of thetube, the spring 8 includes a slightly incurved section 15 followed bytwo sharp bends l6 and 17 facing opposite directions and merging intothe medial section 18 which normally crosses the notch 7 in the tube.

Similarly, the spring includes between its opposite arcuate end 14 andthe medial section 18 a comparative ly long slightly incurved section 19followed by two sharp bends 20 and 21 arranged symmetrically withreference to the bends 16 and 17 with reference to a medial plane AAforming the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the buckle that isperpendicular to the plane of Fig. 3. The symmetrical bends 16 and 20engage each other at least when the spring is in the catch-supportingposition of Fig. 3. Each of the end sections 13, 14- of the springcarries a rounded control part 22 or 23 passing through thecorresponding elongated opening 12 in the lateral members.

The above-described buckle associated with the belt L may be used in thefollowing manner:

When the belt is to remain fastened, the tip 3' of the catch engages themedial part 18 of the spring 8, said tip 3 bein guided laterally by theedges of the notch 7.

When it is desired to unfasten the belt L, the user urges simultaneouslythe two control parts 22, 23 inwardly by exerting a pressure with twofingers in the directions of the arrows F1 and F2 in Figure 4. Thisproduces a lateral fiexion of the spring 8 which assumes a bent positionas shown in interrupted lines in Fig. 4. By reason of the deformation ofthe spring 8, its medial part 18 is shifted in the direction of thearrow F3 and frees thus completely the notch 7 formed in the tubularCl'OSSIl'liilTlbfiT 6. At this moment, and while he continues exerting apressure on the control parts 22--23, the user need only draw the bucklein the direction of the arrow P4 of Fig. 1 to shift the catch 3 from theupper surface of the buckle B towards its lower surface so as to assumethe position illustrated in dot and dash lines at 3a in Fig. 2. Whenthis position is reached, the tip 3' of the catch disengagesautomatically the perforation 4 in the belt which is thus unfastened.During its deformation, the spring 8 is guided substantially in a planeinside the flat tube 6 between the parallel upper and lower surfaces ofthe flat tube 6.

What we claim is:

l. A buckle for belts and the like yielding perforated fastening memberscomprising a quadrangular structure including a cross-member forattachment of a belt thereto, two side members and a tubularcross-member, a catch pivotally secured to the first cross-member andadapted to project through a perforation of the belt, into register withthe medial portion of said cross-member, said catch being adapted topivot freely between an operative position on the outer side of thesecond cross-member and an inoperative position on the inner side ofsaid second cross-member for which latter position a mere drawing of thebuckle in a direction extending from the first cross-member towards thesecond crossmember releases the catch from the perforation in the belt,a spring extending longitudinally inside the tubular crossrnember, saidspring including a medial part adapted to be engaged by the tip of thecatch in its operative position, two terminal sections forming; curvesof small radii projecting outside the buckle and forming fingeroperablecontrol sections, two elongated slightly incurved sections forminginward extensions of the terminal control sections, two pairs ofsections assuming the shape of sharp bends in opposite directions andconnecting each a slightly incurved section with the medial section, thespring when submitted to compression between its control sectionsassuming a fiexional bend constraining the medial section to recede andto release the tip of the catch.

2. A buckle for belts and the like yielding perforated fastening memberscomprising a quadrangular structure 3 including a cross-member forattachment of a belt thereto,

spring extending longitudinally inside the flat tubular cross-member,said spring including a medial part adapted to be engaged by the tip ofthe catch in its operative position, two terminal sections formingcurves of small radii projecting outside the buckle and formingfingeroperable control sections, two elongated slightly incurvedsections forming inward extensions of the terminal control sections, twopairs of sections assuming the shape of sharp bends in oppositedirections and connecting each' a slightly incurved section with themedial section, the spring, when submitted to compression between itscontrol sections assuming a fiexional bend constraining the medialsection to recede and to release the tip of the catch, the first sharplybent sections connected directly with the slightly incurved sections oneach side of the medial section engaging each other elastically when thespring is not submitted to compression.

3. A buckle for belts and the like yielding perforated fastening memberscomprising a quadrangular structure including a cross-member forattachment of a belt thereto, two side members and a fiat tubularcross-member provided in its medial part with a notch facing the firstmentioned cross-member and opening into the inside of the tubularcross-member, a catch pivotally secured to the first cross-member andadapted to project through a perforation of the belt registering withsaid notch, said catch including a tip adapted to enter the tubularcross-member through said notch to pivot freely between an operativeposition on the outer side of the second cross-member and an inoperativeposition on the inner side of said second cross-member for which latterposition a mere drawing of the buckle in a direction extending from thefirst cross-member towards the second cross-member releases the catchfrom the perforation in the belt, a spring extending longitudinallyinside the flat tubular cross-member, said spring including a medialpart facing the notch and adapted to be engaged by the tip of the catchin its operative position, two terminal sections forming curves of smallradii projecting outside the buckle and forming finger-operable controlsections, two elongated slightly incurved sections forming inwardextensions of the terminal control sections, two pairs of sectionsassuming the shape of sharp bends in opposite directions and connectingeach a slightly incurved section with the medial section, the springwhen submitted to compression between its control sections assuming afiexional bend constraining the medial section to recede and to releasethe tip of the catch.

4. A buckle for belts and the like yielding perforated fasteningmembers, comprising a quadrangular structure including a firstcross-member for attachment of an end portion of a belt thereto, twoside portions and a second cross-member provided with a notch at itsmedial part, said notch facing said first cross-member, a catchpivotally secured to the first cross-member and adapted to projectthrough a perforation of the belt, into register with said notch, saidcatch including a tip adapted to pass through said notch to pivot freelybetween an operative position on the outer side of said secondcrossmember and an inoperative position on the inner side of said secondcross-member for which latter position a mere drawing of the buckle in adirection extending from the first cross-mernber towards the secondcrossmemoer releases the catch from the perforation in the belt, aspring longitudinally fitted on said second crossmember, said springincluding a medial part registering with said notch and adapted to beengaged by the tip of the catch in its operative position, two terminalsections shaped as curves of small radii projecting outside the buckleand forming finger-operable control sections, said terminal sectionscomprising end portions adapted to engage under pressure in oppositedirections the inside of said side members of the buckle, two elongatedslightly incurved sections forming inward extensions of the terminalcontrol sections, two pairs of sections assuming the shape of sharpbends in opposite directions and connecting each a said slightlyincurved section with the medial part, the spring when submitted tocompression between the control sections assuming a flexional bendconstraining the medial part to recede away from said notch and torelease the tip of the catch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 68,204Johnson Aug. 27, 1867 708,339 Goozey Sept. 2,. 1902

